Canada Day
Template:Short description Template:Use mdy dates Template:Use Canadian English {{#invoke:Infobox|infobox}}Template:Template otherTemplate:Main other{{#switch:July 1st|January 1|January 2|January 3|January 4|January 5|January 6|January 7|January 8|January 9|January 10|January 11|January 12|January 13|January 14|January 15|January 16|January 17|January 18|January 19|January 20|January 21|January 22|January 23|January 24|January 25|January 26|January 27|January 28|January 29|January 30|January 31|February 1|February 2|February 3|February 4|February 5|February 6|February 7|February 8|February 9|February 10|February 11|February 12|February 13|February 14|February 15|February 16|February 17|February 18|February 19|February 20|February 21|February 22|February 23|February 24|February 25|February 26|February 27|February 28|February 29|February 30|February 31|March 1|March 2|March 3|March 4|March 5|March 6|March 7|March 8|March 9|March 10|March 11|March 12|March 13|March 14|March 15|March 16|March 17|March 18|March 19|March 20|March 21|March 22|March 23|March 24|March 25|March 26|March 27|March 28|March 29|March 30|March 31|April 1|April 2|April 3|April 4|April 5|April 6|April 7|April 8|April 9|April 10|April 11|April 12|April 13|April 14|April 15|April 16|April 17|April 18|April 19|April 20|April 21|April 22|April 23|April 24|April 25|April 26|April 27|April 28|April 29|April 30|April 31|May 1|May 2|May 3|May 4|May 5|May 6|May 7|May 8|May 9|May 10|May 11|May 12|May 13|May 14|May 15|May 16|May 17|May 18|May 19|May 20|May 21|May 22|May 23|May 24|May 25|May 26|May 27|May 28|May 29|May 30|May 31|June 1|June 2|June 3|June 4|June 5|June 6|June 7|June 8|June 9|June 10|June 11|June 12|June 13|June 14|June 15|June 16|June 17|June 18|June 19|June 20|June 21|June 22|June 23|June 24|June 25|June 26|June 27|June 28|June 29|June 30|June 31|July 1|July 2|July 3|July 4|July 5|July 6|July 7|July 8|July 9|July 10|July 11|July 12|July 13|July 14|July 15|July 16|July 17|July 18|July 19|July 20|July 21|July 22|July 23|July 24|July 25|July 26|July 27|July 28|July 29|July 30|July 31|August 1|August 2|August 3|August 4|August 5|August 6|August 7|August 8|August 9|August 10|August 11|August 12|August 13|August 14|August 15|August 16|August 17|August 18|August 19|August 20|August 21|August 22|August 23|August 24|August 25|August 26|August 27|August 28|August 29|August 30|August 31|September 1|September 2|September 3|September 4|September 5|September 6|September 7|September 8|September 9|September 10|September 11|September 12|September 13|September 14|September 15|September 16|September 17|September 18|September 19|September 20|September 21|September 22|September 23|September 24|September 25|September 26|September 27|September 28|September 29|September 30|September 31|October 1|October 2|October 3|October 4|October 5|October 6|October 7|October 8|October 9|October 10|October 11|October 12|October 13|October 14|October 15|October 16|October 17|October 18|October 19|October 20|October 21|October 22|October 23|October 24|October 25|October 26|October 27|October 28|October 29|October 30|October 31|November 1|November 2|November 3|November 4|November 5|November 6|November 7|November 8|November 9|November 10|November 11|November 12|November 13|November 14|November 15|November 16|November 17|November 18|November 19|November 20|November 21|November 22|November 23|November 24|November 25|November 26|November 27|November 28|November 29|November 30|November 31|December 1|December 2|December 3|December 4|December 5|December 6|December 7|December 8|December 9|December 10|December 11|December 12|December 13|December 14|December 15|December 16|December 17|December 18|December 19|December 20|December 21|December 22|December 23|December 24|December 25|December 26|December 27|December 28|December 29|December 30|December 31=|{{#switch:July 1st|1 January|2 January|3 January|4 January|5 January|6 January|7 January|8 January|9 January|10 January|11 January|12 January|13 January|14 January|15 January|16 January|17 January|18 January|19 January|20 January|21 January|22 January|23 January|24 January|25 January|26 January|27 January|28 January|29 January|30 January|31 January|1 February|2 February|3 February|4 February|5 February|6 February|7 February|8 February|9 February|10 February|11 February|12 February|13 February|14 February|15 February|16 February|17 February|18 February|19 February|20 February|21 February|22 February|23 February|24 February|25 February|26 February|27 February|28 February|29 February|30 February|31 February|1 March|2 March|3 March|4 March|5 March|6 March|7 March|8 March|9 March|10 March|11 March|12 March|13 March|14 March|15 March|16 March|17 March|18 March|19 March|20 March|21 March|22 March|23 March|24 March|25 March|26 March|27 March|28 March|29 March|30 March|31 March|1 April|2 April|3 April|4 April|5 April|6 April|7 April|8 April|9 April|10 April|11 April|12 April|13 April|14 April|15 April|16 April|17 April|18 April|19 April|20 April|21 April|22 April|23 April|24 April|25 April|26 April|27 April|28 April|29 April|30 April|31 April|1 May|2 May|3 May|4 May|5 May|6 May|7 May|8 May|9 May|10 May|11 May|12 May|13 May|14 May|15 May|16 May|17 May|18 May|19 May|20 May|21 May|22 May|23 May|24 May|25 May|26 May|27 May|28 May|29 May|30 May|31 May|1 June|2 June|3 June|4 June|5 June|6 June|7 June|8 June|9 June|10 June|11 June|12 June|13 June|14 June|15 June|16 June|17 June|18 June|19 June|20 June|21 June|22 June|23 June|24 June|25 June|26 June|27 June|28 June|29 June|30 June|31 June|1 July|2 July|3 July|4 July|5 July|6 July|7 July|8 July|9 July|10 July|11 July|12 July|13 July|14 July|15 July|16 July|17 July|18 July|19 July|20 July|21 July|22 July|23 July|24 July|25 July|26 July|27 July|28 July|29 July|30 July|31 July|1 August|2 August|3 August|4 August|5 August|6 August|7 August|8 August|9 August|10 August|11 August|12 August|13 August|14 August|15 August|16 August|17 August|18 August|19 August|20 August|21 August|22 August|23 August|24 August|25 August|26 August|27 August|28 August|29 August|30 August|31 August|1 September|2 September|3 September|4 September|5 September|6 September|7 September|8 September|9 September|10 September|11 September|12 September|13 September|14 September|15 September|16 September|17 September|18 September|19 September|20 September|21 September|22 September|23 September|24 September|25 September|26 September|27 September|28 September|29 September|30 September|31 September|1 October|2 October|3 October|4 October|5 October|6 October|7 October|8 October|9 October|10 October|11 October|12 October|13 October|14 October|15 October|16 October|17 October|18 October|19 October|20 October|21 October|22 October|23 October|24 October|25 October|26 October|27 October|28 October|29 October|30 October|31 October|1 November|2 November|3 November|4 November|5 November|6 November|7 November|8 November|9 November|10 November|11 November|12 November|13 November|14 November|15 November|16 November|17 November|18 November|19 November|20 November|21 November|22 November|23 November|24 November|25 November|26 November|27 November|28 November|29 November|30 November|31 November|1 December|2 December|3 December|4 December|5 December|6 December|7 December|8 December|9 December|10 December|11 December|12 December|13 December|14 December|15 December|16 December|17 December|18 December|19 December|20 December|21 December|22 December|23 December|24 December|25 December|26 December|27 December|28 December|29 December|30 December|31 December=|}}}}{{#invoke:Check for unknown parameters|check|unknown=Template:Main other|preview=Page using Template:Infobox holiday with unknown parameter "_VALUE_"|ignoreblank=y| alt | begins | caption | celebrations | date | date2007 | date2008 | date2009 | date2010 | date2011 | date2012 | date2013 | date2014 | date2015 | date2016 | date2017 | date2018 | date2019 | date2020 | date2021 | date2022 | date2023 | date2024 | date2025 | date2026 | date2026 | date2027 | date2028 | date2029 | date2030 | duration | ends | firsttime | frequency | holiday_name | image | image_size | imagesize | lasttime | litcolor | longtype | mdy | month | nickname | observances | observedby | official_name | relatedto | scheduling | significance | startedby | type | week_ordinal | weekday | module}}
Canada DayTemplate:Efn is the national day of Canada. A federal statutory holiday, it celebrates the anniversary of Canadian Confederation which occurred on July 1, 1867, when the three separate colonies of the United Canadas (Ontario and Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick were united into a single dominion within the British Empire called Canada.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>Template:Sfn
Originally called Dominion DayTemplate:Efn, the holiday was renamed in 1982, the same year that the Canadian constitution was patriated by the Canada Act, 1982, which severed the vestiges of legal dependence on the Parliament of the United Kingdom.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Canada Day celebrations take place throughout the country, as well as in various locations around the world attended by Canadians living abroad.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Commemoration
Canada Day is often informally referred to as "Canada's birthday", particularly in the popular press.Template:Refn However, the term "birthday" can be seen as an oversimplification, as Canada Day is the anniversary of only one important national milestone on the way to the country's full sovereignty, namely the joining on July 1, 1867, of the United Province of Canada (Canada West became Ontario while Canada East became Quebec), Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick into a wider British federation of four provinces.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Canada became a "kingdom in its own right" within the British Empire, and was commonly known then as the Dominion of Canada.Template:RefnTemplate:Refn
Although a British dominion, Canada gained an increased level of political control and governance over its own affairs, the British parliament and cabinet maintaining political control over certain areas, such as foreign affairs, national defence, and constitutional changes. Canada gradually gained increasing sovereignty over the years—notably with the passage of the Statute of Westminster in 1931—until finally becoming completely sovereign with the passing of the Constitution Act, 1982, which served to fully patriate the Canadian constitution.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Under the federal Holidays Act,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Canada Day is observed on July 1, unless that date falls on a Sunday, in which case July 2 is the statutory holiday. Celebratory events will generally still take place on July 1, even though it is not the legal holiday.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> If it falls on a weekend, businesses normally closed that day will usually dedicate the following Monday as a day off.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
History
The enactment of the British North America Act, 1867 (today called the Constitution Act, 1867), which confederated Canada, was celebrated on July 1, 1867, with the ringing of the bells at the Cathedral Church of St James in Toronto and "bonfires, fireworks, and illuminations, excursions, military displays, and musical and other entertainments", as described in contemporary accounts.<ref name=Levine>Template:Cite news</ref> On June 20 of the following year, Governor General the Viscount Monck issued a royal proclamation asking for Canadians to celebrate the anniversary of Confederation,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> However, the holiday was not established statutorily until May 15, 1879,<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> when it was designated as Dominion Day, alluding to the reference in the British North America Act to the country as a dominion.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The holiday was initially not dominant in the national calendar; any celebrations were mounted by local communities and the governor general hosted a party at Rideau Hall.<ref name=Levine/> No larger celebrations were held until 1917, and then none again for a further decade—the gold and diamond anniversaries of Confederation, respectively.<ref name=CanoeBkg>Template:Cite news</ref>
In 1946, Philéas Côté, a Quebec member of the House of Commons, introduced a private member's bill to rename Dominion Day as Canada Day.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The bill was passed quickly by the lower chamber but was stalled by the Senate, which returned it to the commons with the recommendation that the holiday be renamed The National Holiday of Canada, an amendment that effectively killed the bill.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
The Canadian government began in 1958 to orchestrate Dominion Day celebrations. That year, then-Prime Minister John Diefenbaker requested that Secretary of State Ellen Fairclough organize appropriate events, with a budget of $14,000. Parliament was traditionally in session on July 1, but Fairclough persuaded Diefenbaker and the rest of the federal cabinet to attend.<ref name=Levine/> Official celebrations thereafter consisted usually of trooping the colour ceremonies on Parliament Hill in the afternoon and evening, followed by a mass band concert and fireworks display. Fairclough, who became Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, later expanded the bills to include performing folk and ethnic groups. The day also became more casual and family oriented.<ref name=Levine/>
Canada's centennial in 1967 is often seen as an important milestone in the history of Canadian nationalism and in Canada's maturing as a distinct, independent country, after which Dominion Day became more popular with average Canadians. Into the late 1960s, nationally televised, multi-cultural concerts held in Ottawa were added and the fête became known as Festival Canada. After 1980, the Canadian government began to promote celebrating Dominion Day beyond the national capital, giving grants and aid to cities across the country to help fund local activities.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Some Canadians were, by the early 1980s, informally referring to the holiday as Canada Day,Template:Refn a practice that caused some controversy:<ref name=CBC/> Proponents argued that the name Dominion Day was a holdover from the colonial era—an argument given some impetus by the patriation of the Canadian constitution in 1982—and others asserted that an alternative was needed as the term does not translate well into French.<ref name=Sibley/> Conversely, numerous politicians, journalists, and authors, such as Robertson Davies,<ref name=Mnemographia/> decried the change at the time and some continue to maintain that it was illegitimate and an unnecessary break with tradition.<ref name=Sibley/> Others claimed dominion was widely misunderstood and conservatively inclined commenters saw the change as part of a much larger attempt by Liberals to "re-brand" or re-define Canadian history.<ref name=Sibley/><ref name=Mnemographia>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Columnist Andrew Cohen called Canada Day a term of "crushing banality" and criticized it as "a renunciation of the past [and] a misreading of history, laden with political correctness and historical ignorance".<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The holiday was officially renamed as a result of a private member's bill that was passed through the House of Commons on July 9, 1982, two years after its first reading.<ref name=Levine/> Only 12 members of parliament were present when the bill was taken up again, 8 fewer than the necessary quorum; however, according to parliamentary rules, the quorum is enforceable only at the start of a sitting or when a member calls attention to it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The group passed the bill in five minutes, without debate,<ref name=CBC>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> inspiring "grumblings about the underhandedness of the process".<ref name=Levine/> It met with stronger resistance in the Senate. Ernest Manning argued that the rationale for the change was based on a misperception of the name and George McIlraith did not agree with the manner in which the bill was passed, urging the government to proceed in a more "dignified way". However, the Senate did eventually pass the bill, regardless.<ref name=Sibley>Template:Cite news</ref> With the granting of royal assent, the holiday's name was officially changed to Canada Day on October 27, 1982, and first celebrated under that name July 1, 1983.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
As the anniversary of Confederation, Dominion Day, and later Canada Day, was the date set for a number of important events, such as the first national radio network hookup by the Canadian National Railway (1927); the inauguration of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's cross-country television broadcast, with Governor General Vincent Massey's Dominion Day speech from Parliament Hill (1958);<ref name=Levine/> the flooding of the Saint Lawrence Seaway (1958); the first colour television transmission in Canada (1966); the inauguration of the Order of Canada (1967); and the establishment of "O Canada" as the country's national anthem (1980). During Canada's sesquicentennial in 2017, the Bank of Canada released a commemorative $10 banknote, which was expected to be broadly available by Canada Day.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
The COVID-19 pandemic led to the cancellation in 2020 of all in-person Canada Day festivities nationwide, due to social distancing and restrictions on public gatherings. Some were converted to virtual events.Template:Refn The same cancellations occurred the following year; though, some also for political reasons.Template:Refn In-person festivities in Ottawa returned in 2022, being re-located from Parliament Hill to LeBreton Flats due to construction associated with the Parliament Hill Rehabilitation project.<ref name=:6/>
Other events fell on the same day coincidentally, such as the first day of the Battle of the Somme in 1916—shortly after which Newfoundland recognized July 1 as Memorial Day to commemorate the Newfoundland Regiment's heavy losses during the battle<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>—and the enactment of the Chinese Immigration Act in 1923, leading Chinese-Canadians to refer to July 1 as Humiliation Day (Template:Lang-zh) and boycott Dominion Day celebrations with shop closures, flying the Canadian flag on half-mast, or hanging wreaths in front of home and shop entrances until the act was repealed in 1947.Template:Refn Canada Day also coincides with Quebec's Moving Day, when many fixed-lease apartment rental terms expire. The bill changing the province's moving day from May 1 to July 1 was introduced by a federalist member of the Quebec National Assembly, Jérôme Choquette, in 1973,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in order not to affect children still in school in the month of May.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Activities
.jpg){kind=link}
Most communities across the country host organized celebrations for Canada Day, typically outdoor public events, such as parades, carnivals, festivals, barbecues, air and maritime shows, fireworks, and free musical concerts,<ref name="Heritage96">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> as well as citizenship ceremonies.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> There is no standard mode of celebration for Canada Day; Jennifer Welsh, a professor of International Relations at the University of Oxford, said about this: "Canada Day, like the country, is endlessly decentralized. There doesn't seem to be a central recipe for how to celebrate it—chalk it up to the nature of the federation."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
In the national capital of Ottawa, concerts and cultural displays are held on the front lawn of Parliament Hill, as organized by Canadian Heritage, which include the main "noon show" and an evening programme.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name=:6>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The event traditionally begins with the singing of the royal anthem "God Save the King" and the national anthem "O Canada" in English and French followed by a flyover by the Snowbirds. Typically the governor general and prime minister officiate, though the monarch or another member of the royal family may also attend or take the governor general's place.Template:Refn Smaller events are mounted in other parks around the city and in neighbouring Gatineau, Quebec.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In provincial capitals, official celebrations are often held at the provincial legislative building, usually in the presence of the lieutenant-governor or premier of the province.
International celebrations
Canadian expatriates will often organize Canada Day activities in their local area on or near the date of the holiday.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Examples include Canada D'eh, an annual celebration that takes place on June 30 at Lan Kwai Fong, in Hong Kong;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Canadian Forces' events on bases in Afghanistan;Template:Refn at Trafalgar Square outside Canada House in London, England;<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> in Mexico, at the Royal Canadian Legion in Chapala,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at the Canadian Club in Ajijic.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In China, Canada Day celebrations are held at the Bund Beach by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and at the Canadian International School of Beijing, sponsored by the Canada China Business Council.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Criticism and protest
_04.jpg){kind=link}
Celebrating Canada Day can create tension in Quebec, where it competes with the province's Saint-Jean-Baptiste Day on June 24.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> The federal government sponsors Canada Day events in Montreal, while the Saint-Jean-Baptiste celebration relies on grassroots support and struggles with funding from the federal government and private sponsors.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Some Indigenous people in Canada view Canada Day negatively, linking it to the injustices they have faced from the Canadian government. This criticism intensified during Canada's 150th anniversary in 2017, as many felt that the celebrations ignored Indigenous contributions and current challenges.<ref name=":3">Template:Citation</ref><ref name=":5">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name=":7">Template:Cite news</ref> Similar concerns arose after the discovery of unmarked graves of Indigenous children at a residential school in British Columbia in June 2021. Canada Day events were cancelled or altered in many areas,<ref>Template:Citation</ref> and the Indigenous group Idle No More planned peaceful protests in major cities.<ref>Template:Citation</ref><ref name=:1>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Some politicians backed the cancellations, while others worried that these actions undermined the concept of Canada and hindered reconciliation efforts.<ref name=:1/>
See also
- Canadian patriotic music
- Culture of Canada
- National Flag of Canada Day
- National symbols of Canada
- Public holidays in Canada
Notes
Template:Notelist Template:Reflist